Lubricated plug valve



Aug. 13, 1935. R, NUHAUS 2,011,113

.Filed May 5, 1954 Ralph Neuhaus 1N VEN TOR.

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A TTORNEYS.

Patented- Aug. 13, 1935 UNITED 'STATES- PATENT OFFICE 4 Hughes' ToolCompany, `Houston, Tex., a oorporation of Texas.

Application May 5, 19.34, Serial No. '124,061

' 4 cwm. (ci. :s1-ss) My invention relates to plug valves in which alubricant is employed to assist in maintaining a seal and also tofacilitate the operation of the valve.

It is an object of the invention to assure lubrication on the downstreamside of the plug where theV plug ilts most closely in the housing of thevalve 'so that a seal may be preserved along that surface. I ilnd thatwhere lubricant is fed to the valve housing about the valve withoutspecial provision to force it into the close fitting side of the plug,that the lubricant escapes into the loose fitting side of the plug andis not effective in 'sealing the plug at the point where it is mostdesired. v

I also desire to employ a spring or the likeA between the valve stem andthevalve to hold the valve registered and thus enable the valve to beconstructed without machining the valve to close tolerances. Economy ofconstruction is thus accomplished.

In the drawing herewith Fig. l is a central longitudinal section througha plug valve employ,- ing my invention.

Fig. 2 is a tranverse section on the plane 2-2 ofFig. l. y Y

Fig. 3 is a broken detail showing the connection between the valve stemand the valve.

Fig. 4 is a broken vertical section showing a lubricant opening.

The invention is Ashown as applied to a stop cock having a cylindricalplug I therein.- Said plug fits freely within a valve body 2and'transversely of a fluid passage 3 in said body. Said valve bodyformsa housing for the valve which is enclosed ina chamber 4, cylindrical inshape.

The lower end of said valve chamber is recessed at 5 and the wall 6 hasa screw l secured therein the head of said screw within the chamberforming a stop post l, which projects into an arcute groove or recess 9in the lower end of the plug. Said post limits the downward movement cof the plug and also limits the rotation of said plug to about 90degrees.

The upper end of the valve chamber 4 is closed by a threaded sleeve III,through which the v alve stem II is about the stem within the outer endof sleeve Il to preserve a seal about the stem.

The connection between the valve stem Il and the valve plug I is a looseone formed by a ilat.

tened head I3 fittingbetween two upstanding lugs II on the plug, as seenin Fig. 3. In order to avoid the necessity for accurate machining, I

place a spring Ii between the lower'end of the rotatable. There is astuffing box I2- REISSUED stem II and the valve plus between the lugsIl. This spring acts to hold the plug valve I downwardly against thestop post I so that the opening I1 in the plug may register with thefluid passage I when said valve is in open position. By

the use of this spring it becomes unnecessary ,to machine the partsaccurately where the valve stem fits the slot I4 but fairly largetolerances can Abe made.

'I'he plug has lubricant conducting grooves Il and I8' adjacent itsupper and lower ends respectively. These grooves are on opposite sidesof the plug and extend around the plug about 9il of its circumferenceand on the sides away from the passage I1.

The body. or housing 2 is formed with vertical channels I9 on the innerwall of the chamber l, one to connect each of the sets of grooves Ii. I8in the plug. As will be understood from Fig. 2 these channels I! arepreferably formed on one side of the housing and connect with openingsin the wall of the valve body, through which lubricant may be forcedinto said channels.

Said openings 20 are ,threaded to receive valve plugs 2l which havelubricant passages 22 axially thereof. The passages have check valvestherein allowing ow of lubricant inwardly only. 'Ihe outer ends ofopenings 20 are threaded to receive a grease gun and are normally closedby plug 23.

on eachside of the valve off from the grooves` on the other side andthen feeding lubrlcantpositively to each side separately, I am able toassure lubricant on the downstream side and thus as-` sure a seal andalso keep the valve plug from sticking in its seat. Thus a commondiiliculty in cylindrical valves is overcome.

The valve herein disclosed is cheap to manufacture but 'is alsoeffective in use and durable in its lasting qualities.

What I claim as new:-

1. A plug valve including a body having a longitudinal iiirid passage, acylindrical valve chamber transversely of said passage. a valve plugadapted to :fit within said chamber and having an opening adapted to bebrought, by rotation, into or out of registration with said passage,means intertting loosely with one end of said'plug, to rotate the same,opposite lubricant channels formed in said plug adjacent the upper andlower ends of said plug, to conduct lubricant to the upstream side ofsaid plug. and separate channels similarly formed to conduct-lubricantto the downstream side thereof when said plug is in closed position,said channels on opposed sides being unconnected with each other or withthe ends of said plug.

2. A plug valve including a, body having a longitudinal uid passage, acylindrical valve chamber transversely of said passage, a valve plugadapted to fit within said chamber and havlng an opening adapted to bebrought, by rotation, into or out of registration with said passage,means yto rotate the same, lubricant channels to conduct lubricant tothe upstream side of said plug and separate channels to conductlubricant to the downstream side thereof when said plug is in closedposition, said channels being unconnected witheach other or with theends 'of said plug. 3. In a plug valve a valve chamber, a cylindricalplug valve therein having a uid opening .diametrically thereof, arcuatechannels in said plug on `opposite sides of said plug away from saidopening at `both the upper and lower ends thereof, means to connect theupper and lower channels on each side with each other, the channels onopposite sides being separately formed to provide closed passages fromwhich lubricant cannot iiow, means to rotate said plug and means to feedlubricant to the channels on each side of said plug separately from theother.

4, A valve body having a fluid passage, a valve plug transverselythereoi and having a fluid opening, a groove at one end of said plug, avalve stem, a head on said stem engaging in said groove, a post in saidvalve body engaging the end of said plug opposite said stem, and meansbetween said stem and said valve plug in said groove to hold said plugresiliently toward said post.

RALPH NEUHAUS,

